Okay guys, I’m applying to colleges this year and one of my first choices is Wesleyan University. Some of my friends went there and they loved it. It has a strong academic curriculum and the people there are the best (As i’ve been told). The problem is that I’ve recently been informed that the party scene has suffered immensely since the past year due to some policies and rigorous crackdowns by the administration due to some disgusting events. There are fewer parties now, with fewer people and a lot of restrictions. See, I need to party. Don’t get me wrong here, It’s not the only thing I’m looking for in a college. I’m a “Work hard, play harder” kinda guy. I absolutely drill textbooks and assignments throughout the weekdays (my 4.00 GPA can assure that) but on the weekends , i seriously need to blow off steam, get drunk and have good time. It’s just how I function. I hope you understand where I’m coming from. So is Wesleyan what it was like before or has this part of it changed drastically ?
I would like to know as well since that is a big factor in which colleges I apply to.
I’m not a student, but, just judging from what I’ve heard, the most obvious change will be the absence of DKE house from the ResLife roster of officially sanctioned places to live, and more importantly - to socialize. But, if they’re anything like they were back in my day, that only counts for maybe two really big parties a year. Unlike the rest of NESCAC, Wesleyan is not super dependent on its athletic teams to organize parties. Anyone with an awesome house can throw one.
The persistent rumor that I keep hearing is that it is harder to throw parties together at the last minute. Over the years, the ability of social media to advertise a party has outstripped the ability of ResLife to amp up security and otherwise prepare itself for what’s going on. So, they are clamping down on the notification requirements - which have been there all along, but, were perhaps more loosely enforced in the past. People are complaining that they shouldn’t have to think two weeks ahead of time that they want to hold a kegger with a few friends. The problem is, what happens when “a few friends” turns into 100 people crammed into your common room?
There are over two hundred university owned houses in and around campus. My hunch is that complying with the rules will not put much of a dent in the party scene.
Breaking News: Psi U will be closed for the 2015-2016 academic year, pending an investigation into alleged “group purchases” of illegal drugs. While the Argus states that this effectively removes fraternities from the party scene, at least for the near term, that is only because under the peculiarities of Wesleyan’s home-grown nomenclature, self-described “literary societies” - which have been a part of student life since before the Civil War - are not called fraternities. The major example is Eclectic which hosts music events nearly every weekend and, as far as I can tell, is still a viable entity:
http://wesleyanargus.com/2015/08/03/psi-upsilon-house-to-close-for-the-2015-2016-academic-year/
Update on the party scene. There are some legitimate concerns that there will be fewer big parties due to the closing of the last all-male fraternities. But, the other thing that comes across in this article is just how strong the Wesleyan student culture as a whole is. It is far from being a place “where fun goes to die.”: